“We Spaniards demand our right to vote. We demand the right to decide who is the president of Spain. ‘No’ means ‘no’ to Pedro Sánchez. If you’re in agreement, pass this message on until elections are called”
The message refers to the leader of the Spanish Socialists (PSOE), Pedro Sánchez, who sneaked in as the country’s leader last Friday after his predecessor, Mariano Rajoy, lost a no-confidence vote. While that vote had disastrous consequences for Rajoy, for Sánchez – who tabled it in the first place – it has propelled him into Spain’s top job.
The 46-year-old’s ascension reveals him to be a career politician who knows how to work the system. In a well-timed move in 2016, Sánchez resigned his leadership of the PSOE after refusing to take part in a parliamentary vote that allowed Rajoy to carry on as prime minister.
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